Wisdom Moon / 22 / 1206 A.F.

When I wake up, I find myself naked in one of the beds in the fort infirmary. I have two plush pillows under my head and I’m tucked in extraordinarily tight. My body is stuck to the bed and still dripping with medicinal salve. While the blanket is thick, my entire body is cold. The cold is welcome though. My skin feels like I need it. I peek under the blanket and find bags of ice covering every inch of my body from the neck down. It’s so comfy I don’t want to move. What time is it anyway? I turn to the wall left of me and see a clock. Looks like it’s 5:20 a.m. Good. The sun hasn’t even risen yet. If I get ready now, I might be able to sneak in a morning jog without Seth knowing. Every little bit helps. If I can get an advantage, I’ll take it.

I fight against the cozy confines of the blanket and manage to slink out of bed. Without the ice packs, my skin feels… off. Kind of tender, kind of numb. My eyes wander over to the sink by the bathtub. Wait. I still need to floss the blues out of my gums. I should do that now. I pull some floss out of the medicine cabinet, make my way over to the sink, and stare into the mirror. Wow. Uh… Damn. Fire got more hits in than I thought. My hair’s singed and some just got burned off my right temple completely. I get some scissors from the cabinet and begin snipping off the singed bits of hair. Wow. That’s… more hair than I thought. Guess I’m rocking short hair for now. Actually… wait. It’s better this way. While long hair does offer additional warmth in cold climates, it also weighs me down and lets the enemy grab it if I’m fighting without a helmet. Also my eyebrows got singed. Looks like they’ll mostly grow back, but I see little scar lines on my brow already… so we’ll see. There’s patches of pink and dark red wounded and burned tissue all over my chest, shoulders, and back. It looks worse than it feels. Probably will get some cool scars out of this though. I can’t wait to tell that story to my classmates and family. I’m going to look so cool. There’s some spots on my shoulder and chest that have little bandages affixed to them with cool salve dripping out from under them. I’ll have to thank Seth for that.

I begin flossing the blues gunk out of my gums. Gack. Cough. Wow. It tastes way worse going out of your mouth than it does going in. Indigo gunk flies off my gums and sticks onto the mirror in front of me. My gums start to bleed a little. It stinks, but I just gargle with some salt water to fix that. I really should floss more… Can’t eat steak without good teeth. After my mouth is nice and clean, I look around the room for something to wear. Oh. Wait. There’s a school guard outfit lying on a chair by the door. Guess it’ll do. Nice sturdy boots, clean warm pants, extra soft socks, and a good shirt with leather armor plating. The shirt’s a bit tight around the chest area and the pants are just a tad short, but that’s about the extent of my complaints. Alright. Time to do some stretching and get going. Just as I’m about to leave, I hear Seth yawn. Damnit.

“Aaah… morning, Astrid.” Seth stretches his arms over his head and lies on his bed sideways like a parlor whore. “You’re looking rather dashing in that outfit.”

“Why thank you.” I can’t help but chuckle.

“Are you feeling okay? Anything hurt? Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, yes, and yes.” I start stretching my back and rolling my neck. “Wanna go for a morning jog before we head back to the academy? I wanna get back in time before breakfast starts. Today’s pancake day.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Seth hops out of bed, rubs his eye, and walks towards me. “Why don’t we just take it easy today? You’re still recovering from pretty serious injuries.”

“Are you afraid you’ll lose to me while I’m injured?” I smirk.

Seth sighs and rubs his forehead. “How about this? You promise to take it easy for the day, and I’ll spar with you as much as you want with me over the weekend. Sound good?”

My eyes narrow, I sigh, but I accept his offer. “Deal.” I shake his hand.

“Attagirl.”

“Thanks for taking care of me.” I let go and resume rolling my neck.

“No problem.” he starts rolling his neck with me.

“Alright.” I shrug and stretch my arms over my head. “Ready to depart? Wait, where’s our stuff?”

“It’s in the armory across the hall. Some of the bored soldiers performed maintenance on our gear overnight.”

“Sweet.” We collect our gear, thank the soldiers, then head back to the academy.

Warm Moon / 22 / 1218 A.F.

Got my hand back and some new armor. Fits great, but still has some wear on it. That’s fine. It’s cheaper than the brand new armor and I never liked shiny armor to begin with. I’ve always thought wear and tear looked pretty cool. Plus shiny armor just gives away your position. Still have a bit of a concussion, but the nausea and ringing are gone. I just feel a little light headed at times. My appetite’s back in full force though, so that’s nice. Shoulder still hurts like hell, but it’s fine. My abdomen looks all green with some small patches of black and purple. The bruises have mostly healed, but I still feel tender. It’s like I’m sore, but it’s a good sore. It’s hard to explain. It’s like when you exercise a lot then your body hurts. Something about that pain has always been satisfying to me. It’s a sign of improvement. A sign of surviving.

David on the other hand looks far better. He still has some wear and tear on him. His black eye hasn’t fully healed and there’s still some minor bruising all throughout him. I’m not sure if he just recovers faster or that mage stuff makes him heal faster… Ugh. I get sick just thinking about his magic, so I’m going to stop.

We finally check out of the inn, gather some more supplies, and leave Serenissima with most of our cash depleted. I’m now carrying a small camping kit, the trunk with the Mist stone, and a large blanket on my back. Meanwhile, David’s carrying a bunch of rations and canteens on his back. We’re well prepared, but barely have enough to even hire the carriage. Might have to pick up some jobs in Frigus… what would David even do? Does he have any marketable skills? I guess he could work on Mirage duty, but I don’t want the army scouting him. If they see his magic, they’d scoop his ass up in a second.

We board one of the cheaper carriages and head up north towards the Mediterranean Checkpoint. We’d take the boat, but we don’t have enough money… It’ll have to make do. We got three days until we reach the Checkpoint then another week and a half just to reach Frigus in case the Checkpoint’s really out.

The carriage interior is pretty comfy all things considered. Good leather seats, window blinds, some blankets and canteens of water in compartments under the seats. The ride is fairly smooth despite the speed. The driver’s not talking to us either, which is much appreciated. They’re just sitting up front driving the horses. I couldn’t get a good look at their face since they were covered head to toe in thick armor and had a thick poleaxe strapped to their back. The shoulder pauldrons are massive and impressive, but the hips are rather wide… They’re also rather short. I doubt they reach five feet tall, but they’re handling those massive steeds with the utmost grace and power. I’ll just call them Driver.

I’m content to just look outside the window and maybe drift off a little to catch up on some sleep. My head feels a little foggy still and my limbs feel a little loose. David meanwhile is writing something down while munching on a carrot.

“What are you writing?”

“Oh,” David straightens his back and flinches. “I’m just keeping a diary of this journey. I’ve been slacking on it this week, so I need to catch up.”

“Intriguing. What aspects are you recording?”

“The weather, what I ate, what I am thinking about, anything cool I saw, the new vulgarities I learned from you.”

That actually manages a chuckle out of me. “Hey now. I’m not that vulgar.”

“You swear in your sleep all the time.” David reciprocates my laughter.

“Really now?” My face hardens. “What else do you hear?”

“Hmmm… oh! You yell the name Seth often. Why is that?”

My eyes harden, I say nothing, and I look out the window. The morning fog’s somewhat thick along the riverbank. Cargo ships of all shapes and sizes flood the Fortuna River and birds of prey fly around them just waiting for their next target. The birds along the river actually benefit off the ships. The ships ram into fish and larger river predators rather often, killing them instantly. That sends their corpses to the surface and gives the birds easy food.

“Astrid?” David leans forward. “Yoohoo? Is your hearing okay? Why do you say Seth in your sleep?”

I continue saying nothing. My chest contorts and my teeth clench together.

“Astrid? Are you okay?” David touches my arm.

My arm winds up a punch and shakes for a moment before relaxing and returning to my side. “Kid. Shut up.”

“Right…. Sorry, ma’am.” David slinks back into his seat and continues writing in silence for some time.

It takes half an hour for my chest to relax and my throat to soften. Just as I’m about to drift off to sleep, David breaks the silence once again. “Hey, um… Astrid?”

“Are you going to ask stupid questions?”

“No.” David shakes his head. “Sorry for earlier.”

“Then continue.”

“Can you tell me a story?” David’s eyes look like a puppy’s right now. A very, very punchable puppy.

“Why do you want me to tell you a story?”

“I have only heard tales from the abbots and bishops. Occasionally I hear some Lombard tales, but nothing else outside of that. I just… want to learn more about Athos before I have to return to the Monastery.”

My lips curl into a smile for some reason. “Well now. I might know a few tales. What are you in the mood for? Do you need a bedtime story?”

“That does sound nice… for later I mean.”

“Well what do you want for now? I got Athesian history stories, Crimson Queen legends, some Lombard nursery rhymes, and some Athesian folk tales.”

David giggles. “Why do you know Lombard nursery rhymes? I thought you hated Lombards.”

My lips curl into a disgusting grin, but my chest tightens. “Do you really want to know?”

“With that grin, I suppose not.” David shivers. “Could you tell me a folk tale?”

“Sure thing… Let me think for a second.” I scratch my temple and lean back in my seat. I bonk my head against the carriage ceiling then bend my back a little just to get a little more comfy. “Ah, I got one. It’s called the Honorable Bee.”

“Oooh this sounds enlightening.” David folds his hands, leans forward, and listens with a smile.

“There once was a worker bee. He worked in the biggest hive in the world. The amount of honey produced from the hive alone fed a million people and pollinated the continent’s forest. If it weren’t for the bees’ hard work, the continent's most delicious fruits and most beautiful plants would fall into oblivion. One day while pollinating a patch of flowers in a beautiful meadow, the bee came across a badger. The badger had huge, sharp teeth, tiny, yet hollow eyes. It shattered the earth under it with every step and caused any flower it breathed on to wilt and die. Even other badgers and beasts feared it and fled with the slightest look from it.”

David nods silently and looks absolutely captivated.

“The badger was just sniffing around looking for a nice, tasty hive to devour. Feeling the intense desire to protect his hive and his Queen, the honorable bee hid in a flower bud and waited for the perfect time to strike the badger down. When the badger gazed into the flower, the bee flew out of the flower and struck the badger right in the nose!” I punch the air in front of me.

A wide grin spreads across David’s face.

“Before the bee could even sting, the badger swiped the bee with his claw and sliced him in half. The bee lied on the ground and watched its guts pour out of its other half. He tried to flap his wings to get away, but his wings were on his other half of his body. He could no longer sting or even walk with half his legs… and yet he continued to fight the badger. He would never let the badger find the hive or harm his Queen. He used the last of his strength to crawl to the badger’s foot and bite it with all his might. The badger felt nothing and crushed the bee with his heel on his way out of the meadow. The bee died while looking like a pile of mush and the badger never found the hive. The hive and continent continued to prosper, but the Honorable Bee would never live to know that. The End.” I clap my hands together and smile. “What do you think?”

David looks like he just saw me chop a puppy in two. “That is beyond morbid! Who is that story told to?”

“Young children.” I nod and cross my arms. “Everyone knows it. Heck, in schools there’s competitions to see who can recite it the fastest.”

“That is… just… depressing and cruel. What kind of message is that even supposed to impart?”

“Don’t pick fights you can’t win, honor isn’t worth your life, and don’t strike out unless you or someone you love is in actual danger. Don’t you think those are important lessons for children to learn?”

“I mean… I suppose those are good morals, but did the story have to be so gory and brutal?”

“The world is brutal.” I stare him in the eye. “It is important that we do not lie to the next generation. You cannot improve the world if you do not understand it’s true, horrific nature.”

David sighs and falls back into his seat. “I suppose… I am starting to understand why you are like this.”

“And I wouldn’t want it any other way.” I cackle.

David writes something in his journal before looking up at me again. “How much do you know about Athesian history?”

“Quite a bit.” I scratch my back. “Graduated with top honors from the Academy’s history department. You want the basic rundown or the complete version?”

“Just keep going until we stop.” David nods. “I cannot stand the silence…”

“You got it.” I crack my knuckles. “Make sure you take notes, because this is a bit of a doozy.”

I tell him the history of my glorious empire over the course of a few hours. David only looks more engrossed by the second. Even when he recoils and looks disgusted, he’s still hanging on every word. A few hours later, I finally wrap up the remaining details and catch my breath.

“And that is why we conquered the Sakhans.” I press my finger into my knee.

“Ooooh… I see…” David looks crestfallen, but understanding. “I mean… I do not agree with the methodology, but I cannot fault their reasoning.”

“Thank you! We just can’t have a state that’s friendly to Lombard on our side of the Free Range. It’s too much of a security concern. The continent’s much better like this.”

“That is certainly fair… I shudder to think about what would have happened if the Free Mountains were not there.”

“Oh there’d be a huge war. Both sides would get some pretty good hits in, millions would perish, and the Lombards would be wiped from existence. It would not be a fun time. The Free Mountains are the best thing that ever happened to this continent.”

David shivers. “Thank you for that…” he closes his book and stores it back in his robes. “That was… enlightening to say the least.”

“Any time.”

The carriage comes to a halt and Driver knocks on the carriage. “We’re at the Checkpoint. Want me to wait?”

“Please.” Damnit. Driver’s voice is so androgynous… but the mystery is so fun. “Wait here.” I open the carriage door and point to David.

“Yes, ma’am.” David yawns and lies down on the seats.

I close the door, put the trunk on my back, and head outside to the Checkpoint.

Fog, fog, and more fog. Fog as far as the eye can see. It’s not as dense as the fog in the Gulch or Ravine, but it’s pretty thick. Can’t see further than fifteen steps in any direction. The wind is also abysmal. I feel I’d be blown away if it wasn’t for my plate armor. I can see guards talking to each other, but I can’t make out anything they’re saying. The wind slices my ears and dries out my lips. If it weren’t for my goggles, I fear I may go blind. It’s also just as cold as damp as the Ravine… this isn’t fog. Definitely Mist. I pop some blues in my mouth and light up. My head gets a little warmer and gets just a little clearer. There’s steel plated buildings and ballistas pointed away from me as well as several guards and hunters stationed around the place.

A guard with a pointy helmet, pink crossbow, and a silk bandana approaches me. “Hold up, ma’am. This area’s off limits. There’s an incoming Mist Storm. Either take shelter in the bunker with us or retreat back to Serenissima.”

“Relax.” I flash my license.

“Ooooh…” Pinky gazes upon my license. “Fellow alumni. Nice. Are you here to help us out? Or were you just looking to use the gondola?”

“Gondola.”

Pinky shakes her head. “Yeah… that’s still under repair. Sorry.”

“Figured…” I sigh and shove the license back in my satchel. “What’s the cause of the damage anyway?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Well… it’s… a lot. Come with me. I can show you better up close.” Pinky escorts me past some more guards, tents nearly blowing away with the wind, and more ballistas before arriving at the edge of the encampment. The metal plating stops and I can see a cliff descend far below the fog. There’s a large mechanism next to some cut wires near the cliff. Before Pinky can resume speaking, I offer her a stick. “Ah, many thanks.” Pinky takes the stick and lights it up with her own lighter. “Anyway, every time we send a party to fix the lines, they don’t return. The one time the U.P.s sent a party and succeeded in connecting the lines, something destroyed our control console.” Pinky taps the busted-looking console. It looks burnt and as if a giant punched a hole clean through it.

“Whoa…” I whistle and poke my arm through the hole. “You think a mirage did this?”

“I want to say so, but no one reported any mirage sightings and this console has 24 hour surveillance.” Pinky exhales an indigo cloud.

“So… it’s sabotage then.”

“That’s what I’m thinking.” Pink sighs and rubs her temple. “But I have no proof or leads on who did it.”

“Whoa… it’s so windy… and this machine looks so cool.” David’s voice cuts through the wind.

My head turns towards the busted console to find David crawling through it.

David crawls through the console and looks out over the ledge of the Checkpoint. “Aww… I can’t see the Mediterranean…”

“Kid…” my mouth nearly hits my knee. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see what the Mediterranean looks like.” David turns around to face me.

“Kid. Get back into the carriage. A mi-AAAAGH!!!” Within an instant, pain erupts from my forehead and quickly shoots out to the rest of my body. It feels like something’s ramming against the inside of my skull trying to get out. It’s trampling my brain, turning it to fine paste. It’s painting the walls of my skull with my own blood and grey matter. I writhe and bash my head against the ground just to try and make it stop. It’s whispering something into me, but I can’t understand it. Despite my lack of comprehension, each word feels like it’s violating my soul.

Pinky hovers over me and exhales an indigo cloud over me.

“Astrid!” David falls to his knees and tries to help me. He grips my arm, but my arm just flails and strikes him to the ground. “O-ow… S-sorry… Ma’am!” David rolls away from me and looks up at Pinky. “Why are you not doing something!?”

“Looks like some kind of Mist poisoning.” Pinky shrugs and exhales more smoke at me. “This is the best I can do.”

My hands grasp and claw at my helmet trying to get it off, but I lack the muscle control to do that right now. It’s for the best. If I didn’t have my helmet, I feel I might just scalp myself. I try to breathe, but my body begins coughing violently. I can feel something in my throat. It’s… eating away at me. Thrashing, rending, devouring… loving every second of it. I-I have to get it out! I flail into my satchel and pull out a cooking knife. Before I can jam it into my throat, all pain evaporates from me for a moment, but only a moment. A tiny, insignificant moment. My head is clear. My body is frozen, yet warm. My eyes are shut, but I can see. The nonsense in my head starts to finally make sense.

A feminine voice starts to caress the creases in my brain. It’s soft, soothing, and even familiar. “Aah… It has been a while. Hasn’t it?” she giggles. My eyelids start to feel heavy. The stick of blues drops out of my mouth and onto the steel floor. “Thank you for taking care of my disciple… I shall be taking my stone back to where it belongs now. Please join me. Rest for a little. You’ve worked so hard. You’ve done so much. You’re so brave and strong. Come here, child. You’ve done enough. You won’t have to suffer anymore.”

I can feel a soft smile creep across my lips. Tears flow from my eyes. I lie on the ground in silence and feel warm, wet hands begin to drag me into the ground. I feel so… happy, relieved even. I haven’t felt this way in a decade… everything feels right.

David’s voice cuts through the wind once more and the voice inside me shrieks and withers away. The hands around me start to evaporate into nothingness. I’m wide awake once more and feel all feeling and pain return to my body. I pick my blues up, pop it back into my mouth, and get right back onto my feet.

“Astrid!” David holds my arm. “Are you okay!?”

“We need to leave!” I grab David’s hand and begin sprinting off back towards the carriage.

“What? Why!?”

“Now!” I bark. “Shut up and run!” I drag David by the arm and he’s barely able to keep up with me. He can barely even get any full steps in.

“Wait wait!” Pinky catches up with us. “What’s going on!? What did that kid do!? What the hell was that mirage on you!?”

I respond without slowing down or looking at Pinky. “EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET IN THE BUNKER OR EVACUATE NOW! STAY AWAY FROM US AT ALL COSTS!”

“O-okay! Roger!” Pinky separates herself from us and goes to a small group of guards. She yells at them and they all pour into a nearby round steel bunker. It looks like a bunch of the other ones surrounding it. Twenty feet wide. Ten feet tall. Looks sturdy enough to withstand several ballista strikes. A loud siren blares and the bunkers sink into the ground. Heavy plating covers the ground where the bunkers once were.

“What’s going on!?” David asks.

“JUST SHUT UP AND RUN!” As we approach the carriage, I pick David up by his robes. “HEY! DRIVER! OPEN THE DOOR!”

Driver flashes me a thumbs-up, presses a small button behind them, and the carriage door swings open.

I wind up with all my strength and throw David into the carriage. He slides on the seating and bonks his nose against the other end. “START THE HORSES!” I bark, dive into the carriage, and slam the door behind me.

“YAAH!” Driver whips the horses into gear and the horses begin galloping Northwest away from The Checkpoint at top speed.

“What were those things!?” David grips the seat and ducks his head under the carriage window.

“You saw them this time?” I ask peering out the window and readying my crossbow.

“The white hand things and the gooey bits?” David looks ready to piss himself.

“Yeup.”

“Yes… Is that bad?”

“Very bad.” I make sure the bowstring is nice and tight and peer out the back window of the carriage. “How are you holding up? Are you going to pass out like last time?”

“N-no…” David tries to control his breath and rubs his arm. “I panicked last time and used up all my energy at once.”

“Well how many more of those blasts do you have?” I peek over at David. He’s absolutely drenched in sweat. His jaw’s trembling and he’s started crying again.

“Um… I do not know… Maybe two or three more… Oh, Matriarch…” David gets on his knees, presses his fists to his head, and starts muttering something.

“BGGGGGGGOOOOOOAAAAAAWWWW!” A distorted, feminine cry pierces the air and rattles the carriage. The horses come to a sudden halt and David and I are flung from our seats. I fall onto my butt. David collides nose-first with the seat cushion.

“Please tell me you heard that…” I look over at David and pick my crossbow off the floor.

“I did…” David puts his hands up to his forehead and is about to resume praying. Blood’s dripping from his nose.

I smack his hands down. “Don’t do that right now.”

“But-”

“Kid.” I hold his hands tight. He’s trembling. I can see tears and a bit of blood all over his wrists. No matter how tight I hold him, I can’t stop his shaking. “Listen to me. Lie low in here. When I yell ‘now’, fire that magic blast at whatever Mirage you see. Got it?” I run my thumb over the back of his hand. “Can you do that?”

“I can…” David’s hands slowly stop trembling. “I can.” he nods and sniffs the blood back into his nose.

“Good.” I knock on the carriage wall. “What’s the hold up?”

“Horses ran into some white goo.” Driver replies.

I look down at David. “Kid. Now.”

“Right!” David and I poke our heads out of the carriage window to see the horses knee deep in the white goo. They don’t appear to be in pain. In fact, they look ready to fall asleep. The goo looks as wide and deep as a pond. “This will take a little bit…” David collects his breath and begins muttering something.

“I’ll keep lookout.” I open the carriage door, climb up onto the carriage roof, and take a deep, deep inhale. I aim my crossbow and look out into the Mist. It’s just as thick as before, but the wind’s only gotten worse. Mist and sweaty steam fog my goggles and my aim is shaky as hell. I blow through a third of the bluestick in a single puff and feel my mind slow down and my arms relax. Crossbow’s no good if I can’t aim it. “Driver. Haul ass the second we’re able.”

“Got it.” Driver coughs.

I can’t hear anything but the wind and the sound of my own heart rattling. I’m about to chew through my stick… “Come on… if you’re going to strike, strike…” I continue to look around, but still see nothing through the Mist. I got six explosive bolts in the crossbow and twelve more in my quiver… I also got my lance with three charges, but let’s hope it doesn’t get to that.

The sound of my rattling heart is soon accompanied by whispering. The whispers aren’t loud enough to be intelligible, but loud enough to crawl up my spine and tingle my shoulders. The hair on the back of my neck feels ready to launch out of my skin. For a fraction of a fraction of a moment, I can hear “I love you…” caress my ears. My cheeks feel wet and my vision grows cloudy.

I hear the sounds of arms and legs stomping through mud. It sounds like a small, unprofessional legion of insects scurrying towards a decaying carcass. The scurrying gets louder and louder, and yet I cannot see any bodies. I can only see geysers of mud and goo rise violently in the distance. The scurrying stops as quickly as it started. Vague outlines of bodies manifest in the folds of the Mist. Four sets of glowing black eyes cut through the Mist and pierce into me. One by one, figures emerge from the Mist.

They are all knights on horseback. The horses are larger and wider than any steed I have ever laid eyes on. Each knight is wielding a halberd that resembles the ones used by the Royal Lombard Guard. They’re immense. Completely. Immense. Each one looks larger and heavier than a tree. I can see the air and mist bending and contorting around the tip of the blades. The armor the horses and knights don looks old and worn. I can’t tell from what era the armor hails from. Any details have been lost to time or obscured by Mist. It looks thick and clumsy though. There’s chips and huge cracks scattered all throughout the armor. I can see through the cracks. No flesh. No blood. Nothing. Dust and liquid Mist drip off the knights with every step they take.

The four horses neigh in unison and begin galloping towards us. Despite the thickness and poor quality of the armor, each knight is able to move and swing their halberds like they weigh nothing. The riders and horses look attached at the saddle as well. Five seconds pass and they have already closed a significant amount of distance between us.

“David!” I bark. “Any progress!?” I aim my crossbow at the knight on the far left.

“Almost done!” David looks back at me. “Why do you… ask…?” his jaw goes slack and his eyes turn hollow. “Astrid… who are those knights?”

“Oh, now you see them!” I kick David’s back. “Shut up and get us loose!”

“Right! Sorry!” David wipes tears from his eyes and continues chanting. His arms glow with an arcane energy and white markings from a language I have never seen etch into the back of his hands. Makes me sick just looking at it.

By the time I look back at the knights, they’ve closed half the distance between us and them. I give them fifteen seconds at least before they close in on us. I puff some blues, take aim at the knight on the far right, and shoot. The crossbow bolt shoots through the mist and manages to land square in the knight’s breastplate. A moment passes and-

BABOOM

The knight’s body explodes, its armor goes flying in every direction, and the horse stops in its tracks. The rest of the knights are unperturbed and continue galloping towards us. Each gallop sounds like an airship crashing to the ground. Metal screeching, grinding, and colliding with each other. The knights move and sound like a perfect killing machine. I expect shrapnel and sparks to erupt from them with every step and impale me, but no such thing happens. I almost wish it would… my heart feels like it’s going to explode each time I hear them take a step.

While I thought I could take solace in facing only three knights, fate offered me no such luxury. The knight’s fallen armor rattles to life and each piece rises from the ground and regroups over the horse’s body. They swirl around and reform to create a facsimile of a knight’s body once more. The knight adjusts its helmet before summoning its halberd from the ground and catching up to its cohorts.

“DAVID!” My finger moves on its own and I fire two more bolts. One goes straight through the far left knight. One manage to hit the center-right knight in the shoulder and explode half his body.

“LUMINA!!!” David plants his hands into the side of the carriage. Light shoots around the area and deletes the white goo from the carriage as well as some mist from the surrounding area. It’s a little easier to see, in fact I can swear I saw the sun for a moment… but the knights are still chasing us. When the light dissipates, David is thrown backwards into the carriage by some unseen force and he sounds like an abused puppet being tossed into a garbage bin.

“DRIVER!!!” I stomp down on the carriage.

“HIYAAH!” Driver whips the horses and we start speeding up North once more. The terrain in front of us has no obstacles. No trees. No bandits. Just clear plains. Good. One less thing to worry about. It’s hard to tell if we’re outspeeding the knights, but at least they aren’t gaining on us like before.

“Kid!” I kneel down to steady myself. “How are you holding up!?”

“I am scared…” I can barely hear David’s voice through crying and mucus. “Oh, Matriarch…” he begins muttering something in Lombard.

“Kid, how many of those blasts do you got left in you?”

“Two… I-I think… Do I have to go outside?”

“Yeah!” I lean down over the side, open the carriage door, and reach out my left hand to David. “Get up! NOW!”

“I… No… Sorry… Please… Nngh…” David shakes his head and starts muttering something. “I do not want to die…”

“Kid! Either you help me or all three of us are going to die! They’re going to bite our heads off and feed on our remains! Do you want that!?”

“N-no!” David bursts out crying. Again.

“Then quit bitching and take my hand!”

“O-okay! Okay!”

Just as David takes my hand, one of the knight’s halberds comes flying in and just tears my left hand clean off. Even manages to scrape my stump a little bit. David falls forward towards the ground and braces for impact.

“NOT AGAIN!” I drop my crossbow down on the roof and reach for David with my right arm. Manage to catch him by the bicep and swing him onto the roof of the carriage. Damn near threw my back out doing that, but it was worth it. I fall onto my butt. David stands with his knees bent looking like he’ll fly off if we roll over a pebble. “You okay!?”

“NO!!!” David takes one look at the knights and falls backwards onto me. “I cannot do this… I cannot do this…”

The knights neigh once more and the knight in the center raises his hand. The thrown halberd flies past our heads and is recalled into his hand. The knights all increase their pace and start drawing closer once again.

“Can’t you go any faster!?” I bang my heel against the carriage.

“Working on it!” Driver whips the horses once more, but our pace doesn’t improve.

“Oh come on…” I spit out my spent blues, stand up, and carry David close to my chest. “Listen here, kid…” I point to the knights with my stump. “You’re going to blast those things into oblivion… You can do it. The Matriarch knows you can. You wouldn’t want to disappoint her. Would you?”

David wipes his gross nose against my arm and shakes his head. “Okay… I shall try…” He begins chanting something and light envelops his hands once more. Mist around the carriage dissipates and my head feels just a bit clearer. That damn voice isn’t violating my mind anymore… I wonder… can David hear that as well?

Two knights throw their halberds at us… I… I can’t dodge them without jumping off the carriage. They’re too large and too perfectly spaced. Can’t duck. Can’t sidestep. Got nothing to deflect it with either… Something’s going to get chopped off. I throw David to the ground stomach-first, face my back to the knights, and close my eyes. Any second now, my body should be ruptured into chunks of meat. I wonder… can your leg even hurt if you’re trisected? How would pain even work? I suppose I’ll find out in a little bit…

But the pain never comes. I see a bright flash through my eyelids, hear horses shrieking to the skies, open my eyes, and turn around. The halberds fade away into harmless light just before they can pierce me. Two of the knights and their horses are writhing wildly. Their armor and halberds evaporate into nothingness as David’s light melts them away. They look like they’re trying to tear flesh they don’t have off of them. Good.

“THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!” I grin and pat David on the head. “CRY SOME MORE YOU LITTLE BASTARDS! WE GOT MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM!”

David’s panting in a puddle of his own sweat. “Y-yeah!!!” he coughs violently into the carriage before wiping his mouth. “D-do not mess with us!”

“Sssh!” I kneel down and start rubbing his back. “Keep casting. You’re doing great!”

“Right!” David coughs again and resumes chanting something. Light once more surrounds him and markings begin to line his hands.

The two remaining knights glance at their fallen allies, but continue pressing forward. They appear to be going much faster. They aren’t throwing their halberds at us… instead they’re just charging right towards us. No grand strategy. No flanking. Just rushing forward with their halberds pointed at the carriage wheels. Won’t be long till they reach us. Wiping out is going to suck.

“LUMINOUS!!!” David cries out again and a pillar of light starts to emerge from the ground under the knights.

The knight on the right pushes the knight on the left out of the circle. The Right Knight perishes and returns to Mist while the Left Knight falls sideways and gazes upon his ally’s demise. The left knight gazes on with empty eyes before looking down at the ground. His lone figure grows farther and farther away as we continue our escape. Mist swirls around the Left Knight and lifts it and the horse back onto its hooves. Three strands of Mist coil around the Left Knight and coalesce together to forge a magnificent new set of armor. All the cracks and chips are filled in and shine brilliantly even in the absence of sunlight. Even in the distance, it’s hard to gaze upon the blinding armor. The Lone Knight grasps its halberd, neighs towards the heavens, and begins galloping towards us.

“Hey… David…” I look down at him. He’s lying belly-down and completely limp on the roof of the carriage. The back of his hands look burnt and he sounds like he’s trying to cough up something fierce. His robes and hair have grown heavy and wet with sweat. “Please tell me you got one more in you.”

David tries to say something, but only the sounds of mucus grinding against raw flesh escape his lips. Despite everything, he still manages a nod. His hands once again light up, but this time they tremble horribly. Not even my grandpa shook this much. I can see burnt red lines only etch deeper into his hands. White light emanates around him once more.

Meanwhile, the Lone Knight has gained on us. It raises the halberd above its head and pulls up beside us.

“Take all the time you need…” I put down my crossbow, draw my lance, and stand over David. “But take it!”

The Lone Knight strikes downward over my head.

I widen my stance and meet the halberd head on. The tip of the lance skids against the blade of the halberd, leading the charges right next to the halberd head. I click the button.

BABOOM

Smoke envelops David and I, the Lone Knight recoils, his halberd is sent flying backwards, and he retreats back a little. There’s significant holes in his arm and halberd, but Mist condenses around it to patch the holes.

I take the few precious seconds I have to steady my stance, wipe my brow, ready my lance, and enjoy the new horrid ringing that’s flooding my ears. It hurts, but it’s familiar… I need to check on David. His body is shaking. The light is growing stronger around him but it’s flickering like a faulty furnace. “Come on, David…” I gently pat his back with my foot. “You can do this. You’re a brave boy.”

David cries, but nods.

“Come here, ya bastard!” I point my lance at him once more.

The Lone Knight roars to the sky and returns beside the carriage once more. It’s swinging the halberd wildly… but it’s not aiming for the carriage. It’s only going for me and David. It doesn’t even seem like it knows the carriage exists. It says… something. I don’t know what, but I feel like I’m this close to comprehending it. It swings the halberd sideways at me. Just before I can push the button, the halberd collides with my lance and sends the lance flying and me onto my back. I try to catch myself with my stump, but it’s no use. I land on my shoulder and bonk the back of my head against the top of the carriage. My hand scrambles for the crossbow, aims it at the Lone Knight and I just start blasting. I launch three bolts into the bastard and watch them all sink into its armor. The Lone Knight jabs its halberd at us, but is blown back by the exploding bolts. It quickly regains its composure however and swings at us once more. I’d reload, but that’s kind of hard to do with one hand.

David nearly hacks up a lung. “LUMINOUS!!!!!” White light envelops the carriage and the Lone Knight. The halberd evaporates into Mist and the horse stops in its tracks.

“What’s going on!?” Driver stops the carriage in its tracks and turns around to face the Lone Knight.

David nearly slides off the carriage from the sudden stop, but I catch him by the ankle and pull him back up.

The Lone Knight writhes helplessly as more and more of its armor evaporates. The steed beneath it vaporizes bit by bit into mist. Soon, all that remains of the knight is the helmet. The mouthguard is blown away by the wind and I can see a translucent facsimile of a mouth for a moment. It says something, but I can’t hear it or read its lips. The light coalesces inside what remains of the knight and bursts. Nothing remains of The Knight. The wind dies down to a gentle breeze. The clouds and Mist all around swirl where the Knight was and solidify into a big, hefty mist deposit. It looks about an eighth of the size of the stone I found David with. The sky clears immediately upon the stone’s formation. Not a cloud in the sky. Just blue for miles. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sky this blue or this clear… Even the area towards the Mediterranean looks clearer than usual. I can’t help but look at the sun and feel its warmth envelop my bruised body, everything hurts, my ears are ringing, David won’t stop coughing, but I’m warm.

“Did I… do… a good job?” David pants.

“You did great, David… Consider us even…” I take a deep breath and feel myself get lost in the sky.

“Thank you…” David groans and we just continue lying injured in the sunlight for a little bit. “Hey… you called me David.”

“So it would seem…” I cackle a little before clutching my shoulder and groaning.

“Are you two okay?” Driver asks. “Do you need medical attention?”

“David?”

“N-no… this is normal…” David shakes his head and wipes his mouth. “Just some water and rest…”

“So… do you want that deposit?” Driver points at the stone.

“Yes. We’ll give you a cut.”

“That’s plenty fair.”

Driver stuffs the deposit into the carriage, helps David and I off the roof and into the carriage, gives us some water and cold, damp towels, closes the door, and continues us on our merry way.

David’s sitting across from me holding his hands under some wet towels and sliding the new deposit under the seat with his foot. “Astrid, do you always fight mirages like that?”

“No…” I take a big chug of water from Driver’s canteen, rest my head on my shoulder, and feel my eyelids slam shut. “Ever since meeting you, I’ve only fought new Mirages…”

“Really?” David coughs again. “There is no mention of knight-like or goo Mirages in any books you’ve read?”

“No…” Even though the ringing continues, my brain quickly begins drifting off to sleep. I can’t move my body. “Get me some cold towels…”

“Yes, ma’am.” David gets two wet towels from the box Driver gave us. He rolls one up on the seat beside me and holds one to my ear. “Lie down. Please.”

My body collapses onto the seat, but David manages to catch and guide my head onto the rolled up towel. Cold, damp towels cover my ears and eyes. The ringing persists… but it's more mild… “Thanks…”

“Do not mention it.” David hums. “It is the least I can do. Though this is odd...I do not recall reading about any mirages like that either and the Monastery has the best colle-”

David’s voice cuts out and I’m out like a log.